The next time you feel like giving up on work, get inspired by this student.
Teacher Mark Pee Ortil Pornasdoro shared a now-viral photo yesterday showing one of his students doing homework inside their classroom beyond school hours.
The reason? The student doesn’t have electricity at home.
Pornasdoro, who teaches at the Malusak National High School in Atimonan, Quezon, shared that he was inspecting the classroom in preparation for the coming typhoon at around 7:30pm when he saw Grade 11 student Jeric Reyes inside.
According to the teacher, Reyes was the only one left in the classroom. The student was working on homework that was originally due at 5pm yesterday but Pornasdoro moved the deadline to the next day because classes were suspended.
While most students probably would have procrastinated, Reyes continued to work on his assignment.
Pornasdoro told the student that he must be hungry but Reyes shrugged this off and said he only has a few more assignment questions to go.
Pornasdoro wrote in Filipino: “He also said that he would eat later. As if the pain of hunger was his friend. As if he had to get used to the pain of suffering.”
“He just lives here in Barangay (Village) Malusak. No electricity, only uses a gas lamp,” the teacher said in the post.
“People shouldn’t let go of this source of light. Even if it gets late, even if he gets hungry. [He stays] just to study, just to learn. It’s noble.”
Pornasdoro added in the post that as a teacher, students like Reyes are the reason why it’s still so satisfying to fight the hardships that come with his profession.
Reyes finished his assignment 8 minutes after his teacher saw him. At 7:41, they parted ways.
“Makes me cry, but my soul is smiling. There is hope,” the teacher ended his Facebook post.
The Facebook post had over 75,000 likes and 14,000 shares as of this article’s posting. Netizens commended both Pornasdoro and Reyes:
Jaysson Aguaviva Alilita wrote: “You are a role model for the youth.”
Mark Fierro Hernandez Guevarra added: “God bless you bro! And for all the hardworking teachers, live on!”
Jay Pee Balmores Garcia wrote in Filipino: “It’s great to be a teacher because of students like him.”
Reneelyn Romana Karunungan said she cried because it was “so touching.”
“I hope everyone is like you who has a dream,” she ended.
A dose of light and inspiration on this gloomy day.
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